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Natalie Robinson

Vegan Neapolitan Sheet Cake

The only cake you need, combining chocolate, vanilla and strawberry into one delicious sheet cake!
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Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 10
Course: cake
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients for the cake
  • 230 ml of dairy-free milk
  • 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 100 g of caster sugar
  • 250 g of self raising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
  • 70 ml of sunflower oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry flavouring
  • A small drop of pink food gel*
  • Ingredients for the buttercream
  • 130 g of dairy-free block butter*
  • 150 g of icing sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of dairy-free milk
  • 40 g of dairy-free dark chocolate
  • 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry flavouring
  • Pink food gel*

Method
 

  1. Method (cake)
  2. Preheat your oven to 180ºC fan and line an 8 x 8 inch square cake tin with grease-proof paper. Allow the paper to hang over the tin slightly, this makes it easier to remove the cake when baked.
  3. In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine. Add the oil and vanilla extract into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
  5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just to combine.
  6. Divide the batter into 3 bowls. Leave one bowl plain white (this will be the vanilla cake), add 1& 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the second bowl and mix. Add the strawberry flavouring and a small drop of pink food gel to the third bowl. You will end up with three batters- chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.
  7. Spoon the batter into the lined tin, one colour at a time, then using a skewer, swirl the colours together.
  8. Pop the cake into the middle of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know it is done when you put a knife or skewer down the middle of the cake and it comes out clean and it’s springy to the touch. If batter comes off on the skewer, it needs more time to bake. To prevent burning, top the cake with some grease proof paper then return back into the oven.
  9. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully transfer onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool fully before frosting. You can even place the cake in a sealed container once cool then frost the day after. It’s a very light sponge so be careful with it when removing from the tin.
  10. Method (buttercream)
  11. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
  12. Sift in the icing sugar. Whip on high speed for a couple of minutes to incorporate it. Add a splash of dairy-free milk to get it to a smooth consistency.
  13. Divide the buttercream into three bowls. Leave one bowl plain white. Colour the second bowl with a drop of pink food gel and strawberry flavouring.
  14. Melt the dark chocolate and mix it into the third bowl.
  15. Transfer the buttercream’s into separate piping bags and pipe lines of the buttercream onto the top of the cake (as seen in the video here).
  16. Using a pallet knife, carefully spread the buttercream out to merge the colours together. Don’t over mix.
  17. Why not decorate the cake with some white sprinkles.

Notes

  • To store: Keep this cake stored in a sealed container in the fridge. Best eaten within 3 days of making. Un-iced cake can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for 2 days. 
  • What dairy-free butter to use? My favourites are Naturli Vegan Block and Flora Plant Based Block Butter. Both work amazingly in vegan buttercream!